Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-07-28
BIRDS N THEIR NESTS.
BITS OF NATURE GROUPED IN THE
PARK MUSEUM.

How Collections of Native Birds Were
Obtained for Central Park-An Inter
esting Feature of the Groups The
"Clapper'' Rails.
In the exhibit of the Museum of Natural
History this summer are eighteen groups of
birds. which make their homes some portion
of the year in the city or within fifty miles of
New York. Some of them are to be found
in Central park Others were taken on the
hills or along the coast of Long Island; most
of them from WestcheSter county, but several
of the rarer groups are only to be found in
the marshes and deeper woods OF New Jersey.
The most interesting feature of these groups
is that they do not simply represent stuffed
birds under glass case, but in each instance
the bird is preserved in a life like attitude,
and its nest, eggs or young birds, and the tree
or moss, amid which its home was made are
reproduced. In examining them one has be-
fore him not picture but scrap of nature
itself. In one instance, that Of the field spar
row, the birds have built their home on q bog
in the long grass by the side of a running
stream. A part Of the bog was brought away
bodily, and with it the imprint OF a cows
hoof close beside the nest, which the animal
narrowly missed crushing when she came
down TO the stream to drink
The work of securing the birds and prepar-
ing them was done by Jeanness Richardson,
the naturalist, who has charge of the labora-
tory of the museum. The foliage which looks
so real is reproduced from the natural speci-
mems by Mrs E S. Mogridge who was con-
nected with the Kensington museum in Eng
land, but is now engaged by the museum
here. Mr.. Richardson is an enthusiast in his
work. He knows no keener enjoyment than
in searching out the home of some rare species
TO add to his collection. During the summer
his vacation will be taken up in a search for
ten more groups to add to the museum collec-
ton
@Hunting for specimens" Mr.. Richardson
said, with a sparkle in his eye, "is the rarest
sport 1 know Of Especially when the speci-
mems are the smallest of all birds. and it is a
particular species of them that You want. At
first thought it would seem quite impossible
to trace the humming birds you see flashing
about the honeysuclle home to their nests.
They buzz and flash like a meteor, and they
are gone. Then there are half dozen varie-
ties of sparrows, which to the general OBJ
server all look alike, but here are several
varieties in the groups l have collected. and
that there is a wide difference Of course
you don't often get a chance to approach so
near them when they are alive and in the
fields. The habits of the several species are
just as unlike as their appearance. One
variety always makes its nest near the water
on the ground, and another always under
some overhanging bank or in the roots of an
old tree.
"Do you see this pair with the nest under
the bank? That is Louisiana water thrush.
1t is rather a rare bird in this section, but a
few of them get up here along the coast every
year. In the winter they go down into the
West Indies, Southern Mexico and Central
America. They are beautiful singers, but
are not often heard because their homes are
always deep in the woodland thickets, where
they are not often intruded on by human
beings. came on this male quiet by acci-
dent, and it was a long hunt of nearly week
before found the nest and secured both the
birds. l was looking for another kind of
bird, the red breasted grosbeak, that is a
powerful singer up in the new parks of West
chester, " hen heard the male thrush sing
ing. caught good glimpse of him and rec
ognized what hew was. L followed him some
distance and then lost him for the day. The
next day found him again and traced him
down to little stream, but I could get no
further clew to him. For several days l
brought my lunch and sat down on the bank
ard watched the little fellow l could have
shot him any time, but that would have done
no good, as l wanted the nest. He seemed to
know it and would alight on branch almost
within arms reach and sing with all his
might and then dart out of sight. How did 1
ge. him. Why, at last 1 examined the bank,
and right under the very spot where 1 had
been eating my luncheon was the nest hidden
away. The female was sitting on it with the
four white eggs spotted with brown, as you
see. 1t was easy to take the birds then.
though felt it a pity to do so. 1 cut out a
piece OF the bank, and there it is, the genuine
Westchester soil that you see there"
"Do you use shotgun to secure the birds9"
eyes, with the smallest kind of shot, hardly
larger than mustard seed, and light charge
of powder. The small birds like the phoebes
or the wrens would be torn to pieces by
larger shot When l cannot carry away the
surroundings of the nest photograph them
and take notes for their reproduction in the
laboratory. 1t is quite easy to get the branch
of an apple tree or dogwood on which Mrs
Mogridge has made such hfelike blossoms.
The robins, too, were easy to get. Those
cardinals found in Central park and got a
permit to take them. They are very shy. A
pair of them escaped in the park four or five
years ago and they remain there summer and
winter. There are about dozen pairs of
them now. That little fellow is the oven
bird so called from its dome shaped nest
built on the ground, rooted over and with an
entrance on one side. That little brown
fellow singing to his mate is the Politician
found him up near Hartsdale, Westchester,
and there was a piece of The Tribune in his
nest. He gets his name from his habit of
picking up bits of newspaper to weave in his
nest. In the winter he goes down to the Gulf
as far as Guatemala. The largest birds in
the group are the clapper rails, kind of
snipe found them in the course of a hunt
down on Long Island for the seaside sparrow.
You see how these rails make their nests of
eel grass and reeds. The nests are only
found out in the dense salt marshes The
birds have little Indian trails 10 the nests
through the tall grass, but it is difficult to
find them. They lay as many as twelve
creamy buff eggs. Their harsh Gathering
notes give them their name, and they live in
the marshes summer and winter"